Air blast means for buckle-type blank folding machines



Jan- 11, J, A ETAL TYPE BLANK FOLDING MACHINES AIR BLAST MEANS FORBUCKLE- s sheets-sheet 1 Filed June 11, 1952 INVENTORS Joim AM? 'afilffy l BY Jz/ fijlizfszck',

Cal 4' ATTORNEYS Jan. 11, 1955 2,699,331"

TYPE BLANK FOLDING MACHINES J. A. M GARVEY ET Al AIR BLAST MEANS FORBUCKLE- Filed June 11, 1952 Jan. 11, 1955 J MGGARVEY ETAL 2,699,331

LANK FOLDING MACHINES AIR BLAST MEANS FOR BUCKLE-TYPE B mmvrozes.Mefiazwe A TTORNEYS.

Filed June 11, 1952 AIR BLAST MEANS FOR BUCKLE-TYPE BLANK FOLDINGMACHINES John A. McGarvey, Willow Grove, and Jules R. Adamiclr,Philadelphia, Pa.

Application June 11, 1952, Serial No. 292,959 1 Claim. (Cl. 27068) It isone object of this invention to provide a method and apparatusovercoming the disadvantages discussed above.

It is another object of this invention to provide a relatively simplefolding machine for forming a blank which is gate folded with the gatestucked in. Another object is to provide a buckle folding machine whichforms a fold dividing the body portion of the blank into two parts andconcurrently tucks the gates into the fold between the two parts.

Other objects and advantages of the invention, including the snnplicityand economy of the same, as well which it may be adapted for theformation of folded blanks of different types, will further becomeapparent from the description which folllows and from'the drawings,whereof:

Fig. 1 represents a view in side elevation, with certain parts brokenaway and others shown in section, of a buckle folding machine whichembodies features of this invention;

Fig. 2 represents a view in perspective of a gate folded blank, with thegates tucked in;

Fig. 3 represents an enlarged side elevation of a portion of theapparatus shown in Fig. 1, with parts shown in section; and

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 represent enlarged views of the central plprtion of thedevice shown in Fig. 3, illustrating how t e edges F, F which areadjacent to the fold line B and blank in Fig. 2 is shown of clarity.

between the gates Turning now to Fig. 1, the number 10 designates rollerwhich is mounted on a shaft 11 journalled in a pair 2,699,331 PatentedJan. 11, 1955 knob by means of which the adjuster screw may be totated.A helical compression spring 23 extends between each collar 16 androller bracket 12.

stationary roller 24 is mounted immediately adjacent to roller 10. justabove roller 30, are a pair of upper and lower fold plates 311, 32 whichare spaced apart from one another to provide a space for receiving theblank coming from between rolls 10, 24. The upper fold plate 31 has, atits inlet end, a lip 33 which has a concave guide face 34 disposed inthe path of movement of the blank as it comes from rollers 10, Theconcave guide face 34 serves to direct the blank of the blank as itpasses between the upper and lower fold plates 31, 32.

e, 18 and immediately adjacent to the roller 30. Upper and lower foldplates 41, 42 (which are similar to fold plates 31, 32) are disposedabove the roller 40 in position to receive the blank as it comes frombetween rollers 30, 24. Between the fold plates 41, 42 The apparatusalso includes another adblanks out of the machine.

It will be observed that, in the inlet end of the lip 48 of upperfolding plate 44, is a hollow tube 51 which extends transversely acrossthe folding plate 44 from edge to edge, and has a plurality ofspaced-apart openings 52 that extend across the folding plate 44 and aredirected 40. Connected to the tube 51 is a pipe From the foregoingdescription, the operation of the machine will be apparent. As indicatedin Fig. 3, the blank which passes between the rollers 30, therebyforming the fold D and gate is then driven tween the rollers 30, 40. Atthis stage, prises a flat body portion which has gates C, C at each end.As shown, the free end edges F, F of the gates C, C are immediatelyadjacent to one another.

The gate. folded blank coming from between rollers 30, 40 passes throughthe fluid jet coming from tube 51 between the fold plates 44, 45 and thefolded edge E -the blank to .invention are stop 49. This causes the bodyportion of buckle at its center, the movement of the blank beingsubstantially as shown in Fig. 3 and particularly Figs. 4 and 5 of thedrawings. It will be observed that, during the formation of the bucklein the body portion of the blank the free end F of the gate C tends tobe separated from the body portion of the blank. However, as indicatedin Fig. 6, further movement of the buckled portion toward the spacebetween rollers 40, 43 brings the end edge F of gate C into the path ofthe fiuid jet coming from tube 51. As shown in Fig. 6, the jet forcesthe end edge F of gate C against the body portion of the blank andmaintains it firmly and uniformly against the blank as it passes betweenthe rollers 40, 43 which form the central fold B.

From Fig. 5 it will be appreciated that, without the air stream comingfrom tube 51, the end edge F of gate C would tend to separate from thebody portion of the blank as the central fold B to result in theformation of an undesired fold in the gate itself, or even in awrinkling or mutilation of the gate. This danger is eliminated by theapparatus and method of this invention wherein one or both gates, andparticularly the free end edges thereof, are continuously urged againstthe body portion of the blank as the central fold is formed.

While we have shown in the drawings one specific embodiment of theinvention wherein fluid jet means operate in combination with bucklefolding means, it will be appreciated that many objects and advantagesof the achieved by the use of such fluid jet means in combination withfolding machines of other kinds, as for example knife folding machines.

It will also be appreciated that, while the invention has been describedwith reference to the production of a gate folded blank with the gatetucked in, wise applicable to the production of a blank like the blankshown in Fig. 2 of the drawings without the central fold B. Other blankshaving one or more gates of like or different character may also beproduced in accordance with this invention.

While we have selected one embodiment of the invention for illustrationin the drawings, it will be appreciated that equivalent elements may besubstituted, that parts may be reversed, and that certain features ofthe invention may be used independently of other features,

contacts the all within the spirit and scope of the invention as definedin the appended claim.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

In a machine for forming a blank comprising a body portion having acentral fold with a gate at each end, each gate the same face of saidbody portion and having a free end adjacent to said central fold, saidfree ends of said gates being spaced from one another when said gatesare flat against said body portion, the combination of means forsefolding the gate portions against said body portion of the foldedblank, said folding means including a pair of rollers for feeding theblank, a pair of spaced-apart upper and lower fold plates spaced fromsaid feed rollers to receive the blank, guide means carried by saidupper fold plate for guiding said folded blank between edges of saidupper and lower fold plates, stop means carried by and extending betweensaid fold plates coacting with the feed means for buckling the bodyportion of said blank in the Zone of said gate ends, a pair of bucklecreasing rollers adjacent said edges of the fold plates forming agenerally wedge shaped cavity having its open end facing said fold plateedges, said buckle creasing rollers being arranged for folding the bodyportion of the buckled blank along a line adja' cent the free ends ofsaid gates, and pneumatic means including a pressure container carriedby and extending transversely across the upper fold plate and alsoincluding means for supplymg air under pressure continuously to saidpressure container, said pressure container having aperture meansextending across the fold plate arranged to direct an air streamdirectly into said wedge shaped cavity against said ends of said gatesto maintain said free ends of said gates against said body portion andsaid body portion against said buckle creasing rollers during thefolding operation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

